Case study at Muriwai following Cyclone Gabrielle, 2023 Abstract Cyclone Gabrielle made landfall in Auckland on the 14 February 2023 and caused significant damage across the region, and in particular to the west coast settlement of Muriwai. Numerous large, rapidly-moving debris flows resulted from the…
Long-term rockfall observations post-Kaikōura earthquake Abstract Helicopter sluicing is an uncommon, and relatively novel active landslide mitigation approach. Following the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, the resulting helicopter sluicing campaign was the largest use of this technique to date in New Zealand, and possibly globally. The aim…
Introduction & Summary NZGS is currently preparing a Slope Stability Guidance Series. At the time of writing (September 2024), Unit 3 – titled Slope Stability Analysis – has a completed draft and has been sent to the peer reviewers. One of the new things to…
Thoughts on Auckland North Shore East Coast Bays Formation rock slope stability and engineering design from field investigation and laboratory test results Abstract As New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland faces various natural hazards, including landslides. The East Coast Bays Formation (ECBF) slopes along Auckland’s North…
Introduction Large earthquakes pose significant risk to life and livelihood in seismically active locations across the globe. Whilst it is widely accepted that earthquake events are responsible for significant economic loss and fatalities, the cascade of secondary hazards instigated by seismic events can be equally,…
A Waikato Region Case Study Abstract This paper presents an innovative geotechnical design approach using patented Subsurface Compacted Rubble Raft (SCRR) technology to improve severe liquefiable ground. It’s exemplified through a case study in New Zealand’s Waikato Region, particularly the Ngahinapouri Village new development site…
Progress Report 20/10/2023 Background The June 2023 NZ Geomechanics News contained an article outlining the justification and objectives behind this MPhil research program. This article provides a current snapshot of the research undertaken to date. The MPhil enrolment was motivated by observations made during…
Lessons from the Monitoring Period at Christchurch Northern Corridor Abstract Settlement monitoring of the Christchurch Northern Corridor included detailed road surveys completed using a Mobile Laser Scanning (MLS) system. By combining survey control, a high accuracy Mobile LiDAR system and adapted processing techniques, the solution…
Introduction Rockfall is a highly complex process that poses a major hazard to exposed elements such as transport corridors, infrastructure, services, and people (Chau et al., 2003; Corominas et al., 2005; Giacomini et al., 2009; Hungr et al., 1999; Zhao et al., 2017)2009; Hungr et…
In 1999, the late Dick Beetham and I wrote a short article for NZ Geomechanics News entitled “Geotechnical data at your fingertips”. In this article, we discussed how GIS data on the desktop can assist engineering and we outlined plans being formulated by our then…